The streams are getting quite low and you will have to use some effort to stay hidden from the trout Use steath and make good presentations. Dress to match the background. There is some rain in the forecast for Friday.
Smoky Mountain Stream Conditions:
The streams with links that have nearby USGS Station Real-time stream data: Click the links to see updates:
Little River: Rate 139 cfs at 1.79 ft
(Good wading up to 250 cfs and with extra caution up to 400 cfs)
West Prong Little Pigeon River (Gatlinburg): Rate 24.8 cfs at 2.86 ft (Good wading up
to 63,0 cfs and with extra caution up to 95 cfs)
Oconaluftee River: Rate 372 cfs at 1.62 ft, (Good wading up to 550 cfs and with extra
caution up to 700 cfs)
Cataloochee Creek: Rate 71.9 cfs at 2.47 ft. (Good wading up to 145 cfs and with extra
caution up to 160 cfs.
Hazel Creek and the other larger NC streams flowing into Fontana Lake:
The streams are all low.
Trout Flies Currently Needed Now:
Streamers:
Brown Sculpin: 6
White Belly Sculpin: 6
Articulated Sculpin and Leeches: 4
Blue-winged olives: 16
nymphs
emergers
duns
spinners
American March Browns: 12/14
nymphs
emergers
duns
spinners
Light Cahills: 14/16
nymphs
emergers
duns
spinners
Slate Drakes: 10/12
nymphs and spinners
Green Sedge Caddis: 14/16
larva, pupa, adults
Little Yellow Stoneflies: 14/16
nymphs
adults
Eastern Green Drake: 8/10 (Abrams and Cataloochee)
nymphs, emergers, duns and spinners
nymphs and adults
Recommended Fishing Strategy:
Keep in mind, the strategies I am recommending is for the maximum odds of catching numbers of fish. Many prefer or favor a dry fly and by all means there isn’t anything wrong with that. It’s just a fact that if nothing is hatching at the time, it reduces your odds of success. You can still probably hook some trout, just not as many as if you fish subsurface. Of course, this is also based on using good techniques and the right flies. Some guys don’t know how to fish below the surface.
Strategy:
Not all of the insects you see above will be hatching in the same location. It is usually only one or two. It varies with the elevation. Some are just starting in the low elevations and some about finished in the higher elevations. If you fished the day or two before and know where something is hatching, fish the nymph or larva stage of it. If you haven’t fished the day or two before, until I spotted something hatching, I would fish the BWO nymph. If you spot something hatching (coming off the water), change to the appropriate emerger, dun or adult imitations of the insect.
Tips for Beginners:
Don’t let anyone intimidate you by contending that fly fishing is more difficult to learn and master than other types of fishing. It isn’t.
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James Marsh